Kingdom Hearts IlI A War is at Hand
by Eznorb
Summary: Sora, Kairi, Riku and the rest of the gang prepare to stop Xehanort from forging the X-Blade with old and new friends that step up to aid them. The KH saga is near to its end. SXK and other pairings. Some OCs. First story, be nice.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys. This is my first official story so I am excited! Even better, it's Kingdom Hearts! Anyways this how I believe KH3 will be even though it might be totally wrong. Oh well, enjoy!

* * *

(Opening Quote-Sora is talking in italicized text)

_Seven Lights,_

_Thirteen Darkness,_

_X-Blade,_

_The worlds' end is almost near,_

_My friends are certain that I will be able to stop it,_

_But how can I?_

_I saved the worlds; saved countless of lives,_

_Then why do I believe I can't this time?_

**Kingdom Hearts IlI**

**War is approaching.**

(After the opening…XD)

She could feel Sora's doubt. It was confusing, _why doesn't he believe? He only failed the Exam!_ She tried to think of an answer but found no explanation. It used to be full of light where she stayed but small sprinkles of darkness now floated about. "He needs to pull himself together," she whispered and began walking, her heels making clicking sounds.

She smiled. "He will, I know that already; with his friends' beside him." Sadness then filled her. _Friends…._ With a shake of her head, she stopped, feeling a presence grow stronger. She stood motionless, waiting for him to pass.

The presence sighed with irritation before moving away from her. "That was close," she whispered in relief. Guilt weighed in her stomach. It wasn't the first time that happened, ever since he arrived, she stayed hidden. There wasn't a point for them meeting since he wouldn't know her. She pushed the sadness and guilt away and felt a Keyblade being summoned.

Guessing it was Sora, she saw through his eyes fighting a bunch of Nightmare Dream Eaters. _Looks like he's in the Sleeping Worlds again, _she thought and watched with fascination. _Sora's getting better, _she noted as he slashed two of them with ease.

Her head began to throb. _Something's wrong._ Already knowing it wasn't Sora, she shut her eyes. _Something's happening to a world! I hope Sora leaves soon. _She heard the presence think.

She sighed sadly, it seemed Sora wasn't leaving now.

* * *

**Eznorb presents,**

**Kingdom Hearts 3,**

**A War is at Hand.**

I hope it was a good beginning. Reviews are welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (enjoy!)

The silver haired teenager walked the halls of the Mysterious Tower with a yawn. King Mickey had woke him up and told him to gather the others to Yen Sid's study. Hearing how worried the mouse's voice was, Riku hurriedly put on a dark grey shirt with a white-yellow vest and baggy, blue pants. Not even bothering to put on his shoes, Riku approached Kairi's room and raised his hand but stopped midway. _I better wake her up last, she trained yesterday all day, _Riku decided and continued to the next door.

Everything seemed quieter without the brunette. Usually, he was the first to wake up and Riku was next in his list. After Sora made sure that Riku wasn't going to doze off, he'd run out the room they shared with his pajamas' and start singing. Riku had to admit though; the energetic spiky haired boy was a good singer. Each morning, Riku half expected Sora to slap him awake and shout "GOOD MORNING!" with a huge grin.

Riku sighed and began to whistle.

_I don't blame him for refusing to come back; he's worried that he'll get rejected again. _

Riku knocked the pyro's door. "Hey Ax- I mean Lea, wake up!" Riku waited for Lea's response but was given none. He knocked again, louder. Riku heard no movement in the room. Opening the door, he entered the room only finding an un-made bed. "Where could he be?" Riku muttered and turned to leave but something caught his eye.

"Hm?" The Keyblade wielder turned back to the bed. It seemed Lea had shoved something underneath his mattress. Riku wasn't the type of guy who looked through somebody's stuff so it didn't tempt him to go and see what it was.

Sora on the other hand…

Shaking his head, Riku left Lea's room and searched for a certain duck and dog. "Maybe they know," Riku guessed.

As he reached the corner, two animals appeared out of breath and almost crashed into Riku. "Gawrsh, sorry Riku," Goofy apologized after taking a deep breath.

Riku smiled. "No big deal, hey do you two know where Axel is?" he asked. Goofy looked at Riku quizzically. "Do ya mean Lea?"

Donald huffed. "Of course he means Lea!"

"Well do you know where 'Lea' is?" Riku repeated. Goofy thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. What 'bout you Donald?"

The duck took a moment before speaking. "I think I saw him outside of the Tower."

Riku nodded in thanks. "Well you better be going Yen Sid is waiting." They exchanged a few words before parting. Riku headed to the entrance of the Tower and walked out. Before calling out Lea's name, Riku looked around but the redhead was nowhere in sight. "Lea!"

It was silent for a moment until Lea replied, "Hey,"

Riku gazed up and spotted the pyro standing on the tip of the Tower. He was a bit surprised how Lea could keep his balance on such a thin point. "We have to go to Yen Sid's study." Riku explained.

Lea glanced down for a moment before returning his eyes back to the sky. "I'm going." he responded and jumped down without a second thought. Riku stiffened as he watched the former Nobody land beside him without trouble. Lea rolled his shoulders for a moment. "Do you know why?" he asked. Riku shook his head.

"I'm wondering though, Mickey sure sounded worried." Riku told Lea. The redhead smirked. "Well we better hurry." Lea pointed out. Riku didn't reply.

…

Kairi sat on her bed, already dressed. She wore a pink plain shirt underneath her black sleeveless hood, slightly exposing her collarbone, with black shorts. Kairi slipped on her three bracelets' as someone began knocking.

"Kairi?" Riku's voice sounded through the door.

"Come in,"

Riku entered the room and was a bit surprised to see her fully dressed. "When did you wake up?"

Kairi sighed. "A few hours ago, I couldn't sleep." How could she sleep if she didn't even know how Sora was doing?

Riku didn't seem surprised. "He'll return safely," he reassured her. Kairi shook her head. "I guess… but he didn't act like himself when he left." _Also I feel a part of me his missing, _she added silently.

"He was only disappointed of failing the test. Besides whenever he comes back, you can finally tell him how you feel"

Kairi turned away from Riku, suddenly embarrassed. "What's going on, anyways?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Riku got the message and answered, "Mickey told me that we had to go to Yen Sid's study."

She nodded and grabbed her combat boots. "Kay," Then she added, "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

…

The two childhood friends entered the study and Mickey smiled worriedly. Yen Sid opened his eyes and gazed at Kairi, Riku and Lea. "As you three know, Sora is busy in the Dream Worlds so it will be hard to communicate with him." The old Keyblade wielder started, "Heartless have begun to appear in Radiant Garden." Lea stiffened.

"Well what about the Restoration Committee?" Lea asked briskly.

Mickey scratched his head. "Merlin called for help, there's just too many heartless for them to handle."

"We have to go and help!" Kairi exclaimed. Lea nodded and seemed to almost zoom out of the room. To their shock, Yen Sid shook his head. "You two will stay here and continue your training while Riku, Donald and Goofy help them."

Kairi opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it, but Lea didn't like that idea.

"I can't just sit around while my home world is being attacked!"

"Lea,"

"Forget training, I have to go!"

"Lea,"

"Without two Keyblade wielders, it could fall into darkness!"

"Lea,"

"Yen Sid, you have to let me g-"

"LEA!"

The study instantly got silent as everyone turned to Yen Sid in surprisement. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Lea, you and Kairi aren't going." Yen Sid calmly instructed. Lea stood in front of his desk, eyes burning with anger before turning his heel and storming out of the room.

"Well, that went well," Donald stated with a quack.

Yen Sid sighed and turned to Kairi. "You will be training with Lea until Riku comes back." Kairi nodded. "You are now dismissed,"

Kairi and Riku bowed. "Yes, Master." They both said in unison and they left with Donald and Goofy. "Lea really has to respect him." Riku noted with a bit of irritation. Kairi smiled. "Sadly, I have to deal with him." Riku looked at her with sympathy. "Good luck," he murmured and walked off with Donald and Goofy.

"You too," Kairi whispered and turned to Lea's door. _Well here goes nothing, _She thought and turned the door knob.

…

"Heh, looks like your plan is working." A hooded man noted.

The one that was sitting on the highest chair smiled. "Why wouldn't it?" he responded. He continued, "While they are busy with Radiant Garden, we attack the other world and kill the princess."

The hooded man nodded. "And that would take us closer to dominate the worlds."

...

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for not updating! Big thanks to shadowmwape and stardust902 for following, you don't know how much that means to me!Might not be the best chapter... srry

...

The door creaked opened making Lea instantly stand up. Kairi stared at him quizzically. It seemed that the redhead was hiding something behind his feet. Before she could ask, Lea's shock drained away. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" he growled trying to sound furious but failed. Kairi only arched her eyebrow.

"Okay? Anyways, have you forgotten that Master Yen Sid told us to train together?" she reminded him. Of course he remembered, he just didn't want to.

"I know but my home world is being attacked! How can I keep my focus?" Lea grumbled, eyes burning. "If I knew how to summon my Keyblade Rider, I'd be long gone." Kairi wasn't impressed. "And disobey the Master?" Lea rolled his eyes. "It's not disobeying, it's called flexible thinking, got it m-" he started but suddenly stopped. _That was one of the lessons I taught Roxas when we followed the 'lunkhead'. _Lea shoved the memory away, it was just too sad.

Kairi looked at the redhead with sympathy. "I know how you feel, Destiny Islands fell into darkness before."

Lea only nodded in response. Even though Kairi originally came from Radiant Garden, Destiny Islands was her home. Not knowing what else to say, Lea fiddled with the organization coat zipper. Slowly, he began remembering the times he saw Kairi happily picking flowers, not paying attention to the world around her. They hAD met when Lea was trying to think of a way to earn money to buy a pair of Frisbees he always wanted. Isa was no help since he always blabbered about having to much homework and bla bla bla.

{_"You have homework, too." Isa had pointed out._

_ Lea only waved it away. "We'll do it later!" he exclaimed but the bluenette wasn't buying. "You said that last time and we earned extra hours of school."_

_ The redhead only smirked. "Isa, you love school so why does that bother you?"_

_ Isa didn't respond and walked away. "When you change your mind, I'll be waiting at my house." He called behind his shoulder. Lea glared at him. "Fine, don't help me," he muttered and stalked off. Lea pushed Isa in the back of his head and began thinking of jobs. "I can help Merlin…never mind he doesn't trust me anymore with his scrolls." Just a few days ago, Lea accidently spilled water all over the scrolls and Merlin was furious, telling him that he wasn't allowed near his possessions again._

_ "Well that's out of the question." Lea murmured and groaned. The redhead fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. "Why is this so hard?" Mostly it was Isa that came up with the ideas while Lea volunteered to do them. This was the perfect time for the bluenette to come up with a brilliant plan._

_ Lea sniffed and sat there for five minutes until a voice broke his thoughts._

_ "Are you okay?"_

_ The redhead looked up and spotted a young red haired girl holding flowers in her tiny hands. Lea only stared at her dumbly for he didn't hear what she said. The little girl giggled. "You look funny," she exclaimed. Immediately, Lea looked away but the girl jumped in front of him. _

_ "You look sad." She noted, her smile gone. Lea put on a bright face. "No I'm not." The little girl wasn't buying it. "It's about a friend, isn't?" Lea's mouth dropped. How did she know?! _

_ "Yeah, sort of." He admitted not wanting to talk about it. Thankfully, the red haired girl didn't press further. _

_ "I'm Kairi!" she happily told him. Lea smiled and shook her free hand. "And I'm Lea, nice to meet you." Kairi nodded and held out the flowers to him. "For you,"_

_ Lea had to admit, Kairi was adorable. He thanked her and got the flowers. "Tomorrow, I'm going to give you flowers." Lea promised. Kairi squealed with happiness. For a moment, Kairi's attitude changed. "Friendship is more important than anything else," she seriously said. Before Lea could react, she skipped away._

That was weird, _Lea thought. Forgetting about the Frisbees, he headed to Isa's house, holding the flowers firmly.}_

"Lea, Lea?"

The redhead blinked back to the present and stared at Kairi dumbly. "What, did you say something?" he managed to say. Kairi smiled slightly. "Yeah like three minutes ago."

"Heh, sorry,"

"It's okay, we should go." The princess repeated and walked out. At that time, Lea kicked the object under the bed before following. _That was close._

…

The moment they exited the Gumi Ship, a swarm of heartless lunged at them. "Take that!" Donald cried and unleashed fire magic. The heartless got hit dead on and evaporated. Riku raised his Keyblade up in defense as a heartless leaped toward him, its claws raking across Road to Dawn, leaving Riku unscathed.

He threw it off his Keyblade, and slashed at a few heartless easily beating them with one slash. Riku turned to his two animal friends to see if they were alright.

Goofy smashed at a heartless on the head leaving it dazed and during that time, he hit it again. Donald wasn't so lucky, though. Two heartless had cornered him and kept on slashing at him. The duck swung his staff wildly but the Shadows kept out of reach. Instantly, Riku went to aid his friend but his shoulder began to sting. Before he could even get a quick glance, a heartless knocked him down. The impact made his shoulder burn with intense pain and Riku groaned.

Rolling onto his back, he began to cast a cure spell on himself but didn't get to as a Neoshadow slashed at him. Riku rolled out of the way and the claws dug in the spot where Riku's throat was a moment ago. He summoned his Keyblade again, noticing blood was trickling down his arm.

As Riku was standing up, the Neoshadow reared up for another attack making him go into defense. The heartless kept on striking Road to Dawn with such force that made Riku slide back to the ground again. He tried to push back but his right arm protested by sending jolts to his shoulder. Riku was about to call Goofy for help but the heartless was suddenly sent sprawling. _How did that…_

"Looked like you needed help," noted a familiar voice.

The silver-haired teen gazed up to see a brunette, a Gunblade resting on his shoulder. "Leon!" Riku exclaimed. Lean nodded. "After almost restoring this place, I'm not about to let these heartless tear it down.

Riku agreed while casting a cure spell on himself. Riku and Leon then began to lacerate Shadows. "Where's the other two?" Leon asked as they had their backs against each other. Riku grunted as heartless surrounded them.

_Sora is too busy in the Dream Worlds to carry himself over here to help while Kairi has to finish her training._

"They couldn't come," Riku simply answered while blocking an attack. "So it's only you and," –Leon smacks a Shadow away- "Donald and Goofy?" Riku nodded in response but remembered that Leon couldn't see him.

Before words left Riku's mouth, another Neoshadow pounced at him, claws wide open. Riku shot a blizzard spell at it making it freeze in its tracks and he began to slash at it a couple of times before it evaporated.

The two men were making progress as the heartless began to decrease. As he glanced around, Riku caught a glimpse of Yuffie before some heartless leaped on her.

"Yuffie!"Riku cried and sprinted toward her. Taking down the Shadows with a few swipes he looked at the ninja worriedly. "Are you okay?"

YUfie took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah, that felt so cool though!" she exclaimed while standing up without trouble. Riku rolled his eyes. "How is that awesome if you were in danger?" The ninja shrugged. "I would have been fine." She pointed out and punched Riku's arm lightly.

Leon walked up to them, with Donald and Goofy behind him. "Let's tell the others that the heartless are gone for now." He instructed. Riku and Yuffie nodded before entering Merlin's house.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Really, really, really sorry for not updating! My internet wasn't working for a few weeks T-T and when it did I was too busy with school and homework and more homework-tries to burn homework- Anyways a whole bunch of thanks to Oblivion16 and Sweeney1999 for reviewing! Also more thanks to tmp1114 and KingdomFlyRunner for following! Also I suck at updating soon so please bare with me.

Reply to Oblivion16: I'm glad that you're liking it so far and I''ll work on making the chapters longer! :)  
Reply to Sweeney1999: Hm... What is Lea hiding under his bed? Maybe some ice-cream? :p

...

Two keyblades locked in combat with a metallic sound. Kairi and Lea summoned all their strength as they tried to push the other back.

Determination glistened in the wielders' eyes, both staring at each other with such ferocity that it didn't even seem that they were training.

Lea seemed to have the upper hand as he began to push Kairi down. Kairi noticed this and leaped, Lea's Keyblade stabbing the ground.

_Ow,_ he thought and yanked the Keyblade out. His wrist began to throb but Lea ignored it and sprinted toward Kairi. He swung Frolic Flame and the princess did the same. There was a flash of metal and the two keyblades made contact, the impact so strong it made Lea's arm vibrate. The redhead's fingers let go of the Keyblade.

"Did you really have to attack back?" he growled and shook his hand.

Lea then felt a bit embarrassed when he saw that Kairi wasn't making a fuss. Her fingers firmly held Destiny's Embrace, the previous attack not affecting her.

"You better summon your Keyblade before I decide to attack," Kairi warned with a small smile as she got to her battle stance. Lea nodded and flicked his wrist.

Nothing happened.

Kairi arched her eyebrow.

The pyro's heart began to beat faster as he tried again.

Nada.

He cursed under his breath and smiled sheepishly at Kairi. "This is going to take a bit," Lea told her. _It looked so easy when Roxas and…and…." _He trailed off, looking confused. For a moment, Lea had a feeling that somebody else hanged out with him and Roxas up in the Clock Tower.

He shrugged it off. _Must be my imagination._

In the corner of his eye, Lea saw something coming toward him. Lea ducked, his training with the Organization kicking in, feeling a Keyblade whiz above his head. He had to admit, Lea hadn't seen that one coming.

"What the helk?!"

"We have to be training,"

Kairi then swung he Keyblade but Lea leaped back. "Jeez, Kairi, wait up!" he snapped and tried to summon his weapon. Kairi ran toward him. "Tell me Lea, would Xemnas wait?" she asked him and attacked. Once again, the redhead dodged and opened his mouth to retort back. Instantly, he closed it. _She's right._

Kairi came back at him, swinging Destiny's Embrace. Without thinking, Lea summoned his Chakrams and threw her back, feeling stronger. Kairi did an aerial recovery making her land perfectly on her feet.

For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of gold in the pyro's left eye, she blinked and it was gone.

"Lea," Kairi stared at him disapprovingly.

Lea looked at her with innocent eyes, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"What?"

Kairi seemed annoyed. "You're supposed to be learning how to wield the Keyblade, not getting better at using your Chakrams." Lea scratched his head. "Well excuse me, princess. It's not my fault that I'm so used to my Eternal Flames," he pointed out playfully.

Kairi shook her head. "Sorry, let's just keep on training." She instructed, embarrassed. Lea agreed and his Chakrams disappeared with a flash of fire. "Let's hope my Keyblade will show up," he muttered.

Lea held his arm out in front of him but before he could focus, Kairi suddenly dropped her Keyblade, her hands holding her head. Kairi's face was scrunched up in pain as she staggered forward, falling to her knees. Lea stared in shock. "Kairi?!" he cried in confusion and caught her before she crashed to the ground.

"K-Kairi, what's wrong?" Lea asked, his heart beating rapidly. The princess only moaned in response, eyes tightly shut.

Not knowing what to do, the redhead repeated his question shakily. Lea's body relaxed as Kairi opened her eyes. "So…much…darkness…" she managed to croak before her body shuddered.

Coldness entered Lea.

_Darkness? Does she know? _For the first time in years, he felt terrified. Gulping, Lea got ready to carry her back to the Tower. "Don't worry, Kairi, Yen Sid will know what to do." The last thing he wanted was to return to the Tower, though.

To Lea's shock, a corridor of darkness appeared a few feet away. His muscles tensed as a hooded figure stepped out, his body structure familiar.

"It's good to see you again, Lea." The figure's voice sounded hard and cold, like ice but had a familiar ring to it. "Isa," Lea breathed as the figure removed his hood, revealing blue hair. Isa's golden eyes glistened with amusement. "Shocked to see me, I see."

Lea quickly got a hold of himself. "What do you want," he snarled coldly, glaring daggers at Isa. _Looks like the Organization was behind this, _Lea thought and couldn't help feeling relieved.

His former friend grinned a devilish grin. Lea already had a bad gut felling. _This wasn't going to be good._

"Hand over the princess,"

Instinctively, the pyro held Kairi tightly. Lea and Riku had promised Sora to keep Kairi safe and he wasn't about to break it. "Not a chance,"

Isa didn't seem surprised by this. "Hand her over and you won't get hurt," he hissed threateningly. Lea wasn't fazed by this. "C'mon, Isa, I'd rather fight than be a coward."

"Fool, do you really think you can beat me?" Isa continued, "You have two choices, give me the princess or let a world be taken over by darkness." Lea froze. _He couldn't mean Radiant Garden! We grew up together there._

Isa smirked. "Your choice." Lea glanced up at the sky, and sure enough, a world was beginning to flicker but it wasn't his home world.

"I highly doubt that the Organization won't do both." It was true, the world was already being taken over, Lea couldn't do anything about it. Isa shrugged. "Your choice," Then with that, Lea watched the bluenette snap his fingers and Dusks appeared.

_Well, this is just great, _the pyro thought sourly as they advanced, their arms swaying in a strange manner.

Isa stood on the sidelines. _He's waiting, _Lea thought bitterly, _for me to go and fight so he could stealthily steal Kairi. _He couldn't let that happen, but the dusks…

It was impossible to choose(1)Fight the dusks to protect Kairi and take the risk of Isa taking her(2)Don't fight the dusks and stay with Kairi but take the possibility that the dusks would attack and me unable to stop Isa from kidnapping Kairi.

Yeah, the two choices sucked, but what to do?

**_You can always just hand her over, _**a Voice suggested.

_Shut up, _Axel growled.

**_It's true, is there any reason why you should protect her?_**

Axel watched the dusks get closer. _Of course there is!_

_**Really? Like what?**_

_She's one of the Princesses of Heart._

_**Anything else?**_

_…she's my friend, Lea thought uncertainly._

_**You're so blind, **_it mocked, **_do you really think they consider you as a friend?_**

Anger filled him. _You know nothing, they are my friends!_

The Voice sounded calm. **_"I'm just saying, you're now a threat to them even though they have no clue. The object you have proves it._**

Lea growled in response and shut it out. He placed Kairi down carefully before turning to the dusks. _I gotta make sure to not move from this spot. _The dusks lunged and Lea countered them with fire attacks, easily beating them but more took their place.

_I have to beat Isa but that means leaving Kairi unprotected, _He glanced down at Kairi. Still unconscious.

"Riku, you better hurry," Lea growled quietly and unleashed more fire attacks. He knew it would have been easier if he had his Keyblade but it just wouldn't materialize. Frustration gripped him and he balled his hands into fists.

_M-Maybe I was… wrong,_

Lea heard the voice echoing in his head making everything spin, anger clawed inside him wanting to get out. He staggered a bit and saw Isa staring at him. "Where's Kairi?" Lea managed to think.

He then spotted her sitting up, looking confused. Kairi raised her head and her face showed terror. Lea couldn't remember that much after that, he only knew that darkness had swallowed him.

…

Kairi watched Lea collapse. Not something she wanted to see. But that wasn't as what she saw first. When Kairi had raised her head, Lea's face was filled with so much rage and confusion it made her dizzy. What terrified Kairi the most was what she saw in his eyes. It made no sense.

The princess had no time to think though. A dusk leaped toward her and she screamed. There was a flash and suddenly there was a mouse in front of her holding a Keyblade. "Are you okay?" Mickey asked with concern. Kairi shook her head. "How is this okay?" Mickey managed to smile. "At least you're being honest," The mouse began to attack the dusks, signaling the short conversation was over.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and slashed at the dusks, making sure none came close to Lea. The two Keyblade wielders finished the remaining dusks and then pointed their keyblades at Isa.

"Darkness will never win, like you, Isa." Mickey spoke, glaring at the organization member.

Isa only chuckled.

"I'd love to stick and chat but we must go celebrate."

Kairi clenched her teeth. "For what?"

Cold, golden eyes smiled dangerously. "For a world falling into darkness, of course.

Before Mickey or Kairi could speak, a corridor erupted under Isa's feet taking him. Kairi was instantly at Lea's side. Mickey gasped. Kairi glanced up. "What's wr-" she began but stopped.

Wonderland's star just flickered out.

Kairi felt Yen Sid's gaze on her. She had told him what happened while Mickey went to go check if Lea was alright. "That was their plan, it seems."

Kairi nodded."They wanted us to separate, that's why Radiant Garden was attacked." She told him. The princess still remembered how she felt, dizzy and vulnerable, the darkness had felt so strong.

Master Yen Sid sighed. "We must be prepared if they decide to do it again. A world falling into darkness is bad enough." The retired Keyblade master then focused his gaze behind Kairi.

"Mickey, Lea."

Kairi instantly turned. _He's a wreck. _Mickey entered the study and did a quick bow before standing next to Yen Sid. Lea slowly made his way next to Kairi and placed a hand on the desk to support some of his weight.

Already knowing that Lea wasn't going to bow, Yen Sid went to the subject.

"What happened?" he asked while stroking his beard. Lea massaged his temples. "Didn't Kairi already tell you?"

Kairi could almost imagine an angry Donald whacking the redhead's foot with his staff. "Of course I did, Master Yen Sid wants to know your part," she explained.

"Me and Kairi were training and then collapsed muttering something about darkness." Yen Sid closed his eyes. "But Kairi is stronger against darkness now. That means someone caught her off guard."

Kairi watched Lea stiffen.

"Maybe it was Wonderland or Isa appearing," Lea suggested.

Yen Sid opened his eyes. "Maybe, maybe not."

…

"The heartless are gone." Leon announced as they entered the house. Aerith seemed relieved. "That solves that problem."

Riku wasn't so sure. "Yeah, but who knows when they'll come back." Then with a brighter tone he said, "It's good to see you guys again."

"Riku," she exclaimed, "and Donald and Goofy!" Cid walked up to them. "You came just in time, not just for the heartless, but for Merlin's surprise." He told Riku.

Cid looked around. "Where's Sora and Kairi?"

"They couldn't come."

"Oh,"

At that moment, Merlin walked in the room holding three objects in his hand. "I've heard the heartless problem was solved. Where's-"

"Busy," Leon answered.

Merlin was disappointed."That's too bad,"

Riku walked up to the old wizard. "What are those?" he asked while gesturing at the objects. He had guessed that was the surprise that the three of them were going to get but he had to make sure. "These ar-"

Merlin's voice was lost as the door slammed open. Instinctively, Riku summoned his keyblade.

A young woman stood on the doorway. She had long, light pink hair with pale aqua eyes, wearing a white vest that ended a little below her waist revealing a brown skirt underneath with brown-pink boots. At her belt hangs a Gunblade in a black case and wears a necklace with a lightning bolt pendant. "Me and Hope were checking if there were any more heartless about and then Hope glances up at the sky and says that a star flickered out." She explained calmly like it wasn't a big deal. Riku dropped his keyblade. "What?" he whispered and ran out, pushing the pink haired woman out of the way. _Please don't let it be the Mysterious Tower._

Riku gazed up at the sky, franticly searching for the star. _Where?! Where is it, I can't fin-There! _He sighed with relief. Donald and Goofy had clearly followed since they stood beside him. Goofy scratched his head nervously. "Then which world was it?" the dog wondered. Donald then flapped his wings. "Wonderland!"

"This isn't good,"

Yuffie, the one who spoke, bit her lip worriedly. "Who knows which world they'll attack next?" The ninja's face expression instantly changed, determination blazing in her eyes. "I'll do what I can." She promised. Leon, Aerith, and Cid nodded. "Us too." Cid added and Aerith turned to the young woman. She hadn't said a thing.

"I'm Lightning." She simply told Riku, not moving. Riku only stared back. "Riku," Lightning didn't reply and entered the house. At that moment, a boy came running. "Lightning!" the boy called, sending Riku a apologetic glance before running into the house. Riku guessed that was Hope but before he could ask…

"You should be heading back." Leon suggested, "We've been holding you for too long." Riku hesitated, glancing at the house but nodded. "I guess," The keyblade master and his two animal friends turned to leave but Merlin stopped them. "Wait!" Merlin approached Riku and handed him the guards to him. "These are for you, Sora and Kairi. It goes on your shoulder." The wizard instructed and Riku nodded. "Thanks," Then with that, they entered the ship and headed for the Tower.

…

For some reason he felt strange. After defeating the enemies, sadness struck him. Why would he be sad? Had something happened? Maybe, maybe not. He had tried to shake it away but it wouldn't. His mind screaming, _Something, something! _It was confusing but he managed to ignore it, a part of him was regretting his choice.

…

At the study, Mickey twitched his ears. "Is it time?" he asked. Master Yen Sid stroked his beard. "He has been gone for too long," he told Mickey. "It is time to have one of our keyblade wielders' again." Mickey nodded, summoned a corridor, and entered.

Earlier

"Kairi it is time for you to take your Mark of Mastery Exam."

Kairi's mouth dropped. "B-But I'm not ready!" she protested, trying to hide her anger. _Sora deserves this more than me! _Yen Sid did not react. "In my eyes you are. You handle the keyblade well and even though your incident with the darkness, I know you can defeat it."

"What about Sora?! He handles the keyblade much better than I do and also, he defeated the old Organization! He's ready to become a master!" Kairi almost blurted out but stopped herself. The princess forcefully nodded.

Master Yen Sid continued, "You must go to the Realm of Darkness and rescue a women by the name of Aqua. Remember if you fail, you must go again. Determination glittered in her eyes. "Yes, Master." She said in unison. Riku then reached over and placed something on her shoulder. Kairi glanced down at it. It was pink and silver. "What's this?"

"It's a guard. Merlin made it for us," Riku explained, "Tap it." Kairi did what she was told and was enveloped by light. It subsided revealing her armor. It was pink with different shades of silver. (a/n: kinda like Aqua's)

"Whoa," she said in awe and unsummoned her armor. Kairi then noticed that Riku had one too except it was brownish-red with different shades of gray. _Then Sora has one too._

"It is time," Yen Sid announced, "Lea."

Lea nodded and forcefully summoned a corridor. "Kairi, you must also figure a way out." Kairi only nodded and stepped toward the corridor. "Good luck," Riku whispered.

...

A/N: This chapter didn't come out good...oh well. Kairi just started her exam! Is anyone angry that Yen Sid didn't wait for Sora? Anyways, Lightning and Hope made their appearance. I was wondering what worlds to use, any one is fine 'cept for 100 acre wood and tron. Any suggestions? Also I want more FF characters to appear but don't know which ones. Any help? A character from another a game is fine too. Well review!


	5. Chapter 5

Finally updated! There may be some errors...

* * *

Sora swung his Keyblade as hard as he could, the giant key slicing the heartless. The Keyblade impaled the ground, the impact sending hard jolts up his arm. Sora ignored the pain and yanked his Keyblade out. There was no time to rest, Dream Eaters came from each side of the young keyblade bearer; advancing. He held the over-sized key firmly and casted a magic attack.

"Thundaga!"

Lightning bolts began to struck the ground, a dozen of bolts getting lucky enough to zap the Eaters. At those precious seconds, Sora defeated another dozen of them. He noticed the numbers had decreased and he smiled. Without a second thought, Sora slashed at the Dream Eaters, his keyblade slicing them with ease.

Sora had to admit, it was tough beating them. Especially when they fight in groups.. He wiped away the sweat that had gathered at his forehead and glanced around the district. No Dream Eaters in sight.

When he first came, it wasn't an easy trip. Sora had almost became the thirteenth vessel of darkness but Riku, Mickey, and Lea had saved him. _What are they doing? _He wondered. Sora guessed that Riku was training Kairi but for how long? The brunette didn't many days he was gone. A month maybe?

Sora's keyblade vanished with a flash of light and he sat on a bench. Usually, he just cured himself and ran off to other districts in search for more eaters but this wasn't the time. Sora did this so he could build more of his strength and stamina.

As he waited, a sudden pang of sadness settled on him. Sora already knew why he felt that way. He was lonely; it was a long time since he saw Kairi or Riku. Sora missed his two friends dearly but he chose to stay and ignored Master Yen Sid's messages to return. That was his fault, no one else's. In fact, Sora couldn't even remember seeing another person except for Beat and Rhyme but that seemed like a long time ago.

Sora sighed and ran his fingers through his brown spikes. _Looks like I have to keep moving, the nightmares aren't just going to hop along._

He stood from the bench and stretched his back cracking in the process. Sora roamed around the district, searching in every corner. "Where are they?" he asked himself. Not that he was unhappy it just seemed weird. Sora checked every district but everything was calm.

"I guess there will be no fighting," Sora noted. _For now, _he added silently.. Refusing to sit back down, Sora paced around thinking of Kairi and Riku.

"We'll be together again," he promised to the sky. "We will defeat the darkness," Sora added uncertainly. _What's wrong with me? Why do I doubt myself?_

Maybe because he didn't pass the exam.

Or maybe it was that he almost became the thirteenth vessel.

Sora had no clue and knew he wasn't going to find out any time soon. Instead, he summoned his keyblade and stared at it. The keyblade wielder still recalled how the three of them(especially Riku)wanted to leave Destiny Islands' to explore other worlds. It seemed funny now though, he now wanted to return.

**_There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us!_**

_I knew that I'd find you snoozing here._

_**C'mon Sora, I thought you were stronger than that.**_

****_It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me._

_**Take care of her.**_

****_Never forget, that's the truth._

The memories had come rushing back but for some reason, the last one made him feel empty. Sora felt something wet on his cheek and he wiped it off figuring out that it was a tear. "Weird, I don't remember Kairi saying that." Sora scratched his head. Riku always told him that he had problems remembering stuff

"I gue-" he started but stopped as he caught movement in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, Sora spotted a Necho Cat dancing toward him. "Finally decided to show up, huh?" he asked while kneeling down to pet it. Sora had summoned the dream eater but they got separated during one of the previous battles. The cat began to purr. "Let's go," The dream eater bobbed its head in response so Sora stood and gestured it to follow him.

As they turned the corner, Sora spotted a bunch of nightmares and instantly got into his battle stance. They began to surround the two of them while Sora's partner hissed threateningly. Sora firmly held his keyblade and leaped to the nearest nightmare and sliced his key right through. The other nightmares lunged as well while the Necho cat protected its master's back. Each time Sora threw one back, two more took its place. Surprisingly, he managed to defeat the first row but he was losing his energy quickly. Sora's blows were becoming weak and his arms throbbed.

Still, he continued to fight back, beads of sweat dripping from his chin. Sora wanted to see if his dream eater friend was okay but that meant that he was going to be unguarded for a few seconds. He had to take the risk.

Sora stole a glance behind his shoulder and saw that his partner was alright. Before he could turn his head back, a nightmare attacked him, the blow sending him backwards. Sora lost his footing and fell on his butt.

The nightmares saw this as an opportunity and swarmed all over the brunette. Sora tried to throw them off but they were extremely heavy and kept on hurting him. His fingers let go of his keyblade, it meeting the ground with a loud clank. His partner went instantly went to aid its master but the nightmares simply ignored it. The Necho cat hissed angrily before lunging at them. It successfully killed two nightmares when others began to attack. The dream eater swiftly dodged each attack while swaggering back and forth, taunting them.

The nightmares were outraged and they all lunged towards Sora's friend but it ran off. Sora managed to shake off the remaining nightmares that had stayed and defeated them. His chest began to feel warm and sticky but he ignored it and to the direction where his partner went. "It sacrificed itself for me," Sora muttered, surprised that the Necho cat was smart enough to get the nightmares to follow it. He was also grateful that his partner had protected him.

_Like Donald and Goofy._

Sora entered the other district spotting his friend cornered by the nightmares. "Well that's fair," Sora growled with anger. The keyblade wielder sprinted toward the mob of nightmares and blasted Firaga magic at them, defeating half of their numbers. The nightmares' attention went to Sora just like he planned.

"Thundaga!" he cried and bolts dropped from the sky. To Sora's dismay, the nightmares that got hit only got paralyzed. He took this as an advantage and killed those, leaving eleven more.

Sora slashed his keyblade at them; dodge rolling from time to time to avoid their attacks. Finally, he defeated the last one allowing him to unsummon the over-sized key. Sora went to his partner's side and noticed that it was injured. He casted his last cure spell on it, making te Necho cat fine again. Sora petted it before he wiped the sweat from his face. Sora was sweaty all over and some of the small cuts began to sting but he was used to it. What he wasn't used to was the unbearable pain on his chest. Sora's clothes had repaired themselves since that was how the fairies created it so he didn't know what to expect.

Slowly, Sora lifted his shirt to examine his wound, wincing in the process. The red scar started from his chest and ended at his stomach. His whole torso was covered with fresh and dry blood, not to mention the new blood that was beginning to appear. Sora brushed his fingers lightly on it, making him flinch.

Sora let his shirt fall, his eyesight blurring a bit. "Too much blood loss," he muttered to himself. Sora had to find a Moogle Shop to buy more Hi-Potions and Ethers even though that meant fighting along the way. The Necho cat stared up at him, waiting for a command.

"C'mon, we should keep going," Sora told it and the cat followed him. They only walked a few feet when a corridor appeared in front of them. Sora summoned his keyblade, the movement making his chest burn.

A short figure stepped out and Sora sighed with relief. "Your Majesty!" he exclaimed. The king smiled. "It's good to see you again. Gosh, it's been too long."

"It's good to see you too." Sora told the mouse and rubbed his chest involuntary. The burning returned and the teenager couldn't stop himself from yelping. "What's wrong?" Mickey asked worriedly. Sora glanced at his spirit dream eater. "I ran out of potions and cure spells when I was fighting." He explained.

Mickey noticed the new blood that was beginning to stain Sora's shirt. "It's a good thing I brought some spells with me," the mouse replied. "Cure!"

As the words left Mickey's mouth, Sora was surrounded by green light, his wound healing. The pain subsided, leaving his chest a bit sore.

"What brings you here?" Mickey never came to the Sleeping Worlds when he was busy training. There would be no point unless… "Master Yen Sid ordered you to fetch me didn't he?" Sora asked, finding a solution.

The king nodded. "Yen Sid believes that you are ready to return."

Sora could almost feel the weight of loneliness being lifted if he agreed to leave. _Kairi…Riku…_ The keyblade wielder shook his head. "I can't. I'm not ready."

Mickey's ears twitched. "Gosh, I understand how ya feel but you have to come back sooner or later. Besides, we really need you, something terrible has happened." He told Sora, his tone getting more serious. The brunette's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Well, ya see, Xehanort has sended Wonderland to darkness."

"Then that means…" _Alice is dead._ The king nodded.

"They made heartless appear at Radiant Garden to distract us." Mickey saw Sora's expression and he quickly added, "But they're alright. Riku, Donald, and Goofy took care of it."

Sora was relieved. "So I have to chose whether to go back?"

Mickey simply nodded.

"Ok, let's go,"

…

Riku had expected for Sora to be a bit angry at Master Yen Sid for letting Kairi take her exam first but he had responded by acting the same way when Riku had become a Master. Now, Riku could plainly see the disappointment in the brunette's eyes as he sat outside the Tower.

"You okay?" Riku asked placing himself beside Sora. Sora nodded. "Yeah, just thinking." The boy answered while staring at the sky. Riku glanced at his friend. "You're not angry or anything?"

Sora shook his head. "Of course not, it's Master Yen Sid's decision after all. This is a giant step for Kairi. I'm happy for her and hope she passes. Riku knew he wasn't lying. "Yeah, me too,"

…

Kairi stepped out of the corridor and looked around. There was nothing in sight, only the charred ground surrounded by darkness, the moonlight giving the realm an eerie glow. Light fog was beginning to appear and she knew her task wasn't going to be easy. "I'll just go forward," Kairi suggested.

The princess then took off, the silence being drowned away by the gravel crunching each time her boots met the ground. It wasn't comforting though, it brought Kairi chills and if it wasn't for her keeping her light strong, she would have been feeling dizzy.

To Kairi, it seemed like two hours of endless walking, the surroundings not changing one bit. "Where is this Aqua?" she wondered. At that moment, Kairi lost her footing and stumbled forward, a small yelp escaping her lips. "Ow… at least the twig confirms that I've been going somewhere." The twig had stayed on her leg so Kairi leaned over to take it off but it wouldn't budge. The black twig's grip tightened.

_Wait, what?_

Kairi arched her eyebrow with confusion as she began to examine it. She noticed that the 'twig' had claws that were gripping her ankle, not to mention the heartless that was taking form. Cruel, yellow eyes glared at her making her reach her senses. She summoned her keyblade and threw the Neoshadow back, giving her time to stand.

More Neoshadows erupted from the ground, surrounding Kairi so she couldn't escape. In panic, Kairi blasted multiple of blizzard magic at them, some getting frozen while others died instantly. The princess wasted no time to defeat the remaining ones, unsummoning her keyblade when she was done.

_Good job, _a female voice congratulated.

"Thanks Namine," Kairi replied.

Kairi had figured out that she could communicate with her Nobody when she first arrived at the Tower. She freaked out but slowly, Kairi got used to it.

_This place freaks me out,_ Namine admitted. Kairi nodded and proceeded, keeping a look out for more heartless. Then she wondered, how would she get out? The princess remembered Sora and Riku explaining what happened, The Door of Light had appeared but they didn't know how or why. _What if I am stuck here forever?_

_Don't worry; I'm sure you'll find a way. _Namine reassured her.

"Fingers crossed,"

…

The Realm of Darkness, it seemed, was endless which didn't surprise Kairi one bit. The problem was that the only things she encountered were heartless. Kairi could've spoken to Namine but her Nobody wasn't the talkative type so the princess was silent the whole time.

She walked on, sighing. _I now understand why he gave me this test._ Kairi did not expect for the test to be easy but not that difficult either.

_Kairi, do you hear that?_

The princess had gotten so used to the silence that Namine's voice made her stiffen.

_Do you hear it? _Namine repeated.

Kairi shook her head, tipping it to one side. "What is it?"

_It sounds like, _Namine paused,_ …waves._

"Are you sure?" Kairi asked, surprised. _Listen,_ her Nobody instructed. Kairi closed her eyes and concentrated hard. Sure enough, she could now hear the dull sound of waves. _Should we go?_ Namine wondered. Kairi felt tempted to say yes, the sound reminded her so much of home. "No, we shouldn't. I have to find Aqua."

The conversation was ended when the ground underneath Kairi's feet was beginning to crack. Instinctively, the princess jumped back as a black tree-like thing erupted where she was previously stood. Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace and got into her battle stance. "What is that thing?" Kairi asked herself. It was a skinny, black tree trunk with claws that tried to snap at her.

Kairi leaped toward it and got a few combo hits before it disintegrated into a puff of smoke. _Do you suppose more are going to appear?_

As if on cue, the black creatures erupted from ground trying to attack Kairi. "I'd take that as a yes." Kairi said and began to take them out. When Kairi defeated the last one, a dozen more appeared. She ran toward them and killed the also. The process went on for a few minutes until they stopped appearing. "Finally," Kairi mumbled, out of breath from all the running and jumping.

Just to make sure that there was no more creatures, Kairi glanced around the realm to find a dull pink object in the distance. _What is that? _Kairi wondered. Curiosity took over and she found herself walking toward it. As she got closer, Kairi noticed it was a giant flower bud with green, stems covered in thorns connected to it.

"Whoa…it's huge," Kairi breathed with astonishment. _Be careful Kairi, something isn't right about this, _Namine warned. "Don't worry, I will." Kairi reassured her Nobody but her fingers loosened a bit on her keyblade.

Everything happened so quickly. The ground began to shake and rumble making Kairi stumble toward one of the thorns. The stems were now moving, one of them knockingher keyblade out of her hand. Destiny's Embrace spun in the air before it stabbed the ground. Another stem had pushed Kairi down, one of the thorns jabbing her arm, the point tearing flesh. Kairi gasped in agony and finally got a good look at the flower bud creature. It now stood on the its stems, a huge coffin swaying beneath the bud. Kairi's eyes widened for she didn't expected this to happen. She tried to stand but her injured arm dangled uselessly. The coffin slightly opened, a giant ghost-like hand lunging toward her. Kairi raised her good arm to shield herself but suddenly, a person grabbed her and leaped away from the attack.

A/N:  
Sorry for keeping you waiting for chapter 5. I know this chapter is rubbish so I apologize for that too.  
Thank you The Unknowing Herald for the great suggestions that you gave me, to Sweeney1999 and KingdomFlyRunner for reviewing once again and to Oblivion16 for actually liking this story. The good news is that I started on the next chapter which I hope it means a sooner update for you guys! Well, review!


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